Poor air: Environment Pollution Control Authority rolls out graded response plan in Delhi-NCR

The Environment Pollution (Prevention & Control) Authority labelled Delhi’s prevailing pollution level as ‘very poor’, meaning level of PM 2.5 is ranging between 121-250 micrograms per cubic metre (ug/m3) or PM 10 level is between 351-430 (ug/m3).

The corresponding safe standards of these ultrafine particulate matters are 60 and 100 respectively.

Brick kilns that have not adopted the advanced zig-zag technology, that helps reduce black carbon emission, will have to be shut across the region, EPCA member Sunita Narain said.

In its first meeting after the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) was notified by the Centre, EPCA stopped short of enforcing other tough measures like hiking parking fees and blanket ban on diesel generator sets, due to shortcomings at the policy level.

It directed the Delhi government to come up with a parking policy and the city police to impose hefty fine on vehicles that are illegally parked by amending relevant provisions of the Motor Vehicles Act.

Environment Pollution (Prevention & Control) Authority Chairman Bhure Lal said it was necessary to ensure that there was no repeat of last November’s smog episode in Delhi, which according to the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) was the worst in 17 years.

Delhi Environment Secretary Chandraker Bharti, who was also present in the meeting, said the Badarpur thermal power plant will remain shut even after the January 31 deadline if there is no “power crisis in the city”.

Narain said Delhi has experienced a “much better” winter in terms of reduced pollution as the coal-based plant has not been operating since the severe smog episode in November.